Candied Hearts
by cr8vgrl
Summary: When Caitlyn forgets Mitchie's birthday, Mitchie decides to set Caitlyn up on a Valentine's holiday "blind" date instead of receiving a present. Will Caitlyn discover the attraction between them? Does he like her too? ONESHOT!


**A/N: I own nothing, as usual, and time will not change that, no matter how much I write. ;)**

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Caitlyn Gellar stood in front of the window of the Apple store, gazing at her wallet. She knew that she must look odd, peering into the small leather pouch in the middle of the street, but she didn't care. What she _did_ care about was the fact that there was a new, improved Music-Mixer 201 for advanced mixers, and she had the exact amount in cash. It should be perfect, right?

The problem?

Normally, Caitlyn didn't have any money, much less this amount in her wallet. So there must be a reason, and since Music-Mixer 201 was just placed on the display window as she walked by, Caitlyn had a feeling that such an item was not it. But then, what was the money for?

Had it been foresight to withdraw the money? Furthermore, when _had_ she withdrawn the money? Should she purchase the program? Even now, her fingers were itching to start working on the program. Oh, who was she kidding? She had to have that mixer!

Without another thought, she raced into the shop and snagged the first copy off the shelves. Within five minutes, the program was hers, and unbeknownst to her, the damage was done.

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Two hours later, Mitchie Torres found her best friend pouring over the manual that came with the new program, eagerly absorbing as much as she possibly could. She leaned against the doorframe for a moment, grinning as she watched her scatterbrained friend. Currently, Caitlyn had no idea that she had left the microwave on for too long and her lunch had exploded inside, or that her hair was only half straightened. All that mattered was the material in front of her.

"You know, in some ways, you're rather pathetic," Mitchie teased, causing Caitlyn to look up momentarily.

"How so?" Caitlyn asked, frowning stubbornly.

"Your hair's a mess and so is your lunch," Mitchie prompted. Caitlyn started to jump up, but Mitchie shook her head. "There's nothing to save," she said in a mock grave voice. "It's a lost cause, Caity."

Caitlyn grinned, running a hand through her hair. "You're a nut," she told her friend with a good-natured laugh.

"No more nutty than you," Mitchie shot back. She shifted and then adopted her embarrassed stance, swaying from one side to the other. "I hate to sound greedy," she said apologetically, "but I was wondering if I could have my present now, since Shane's taking me out for dinner and we won't be back until late tonight." She noticed Caitlyn's significant paling and quickly added, "If you don't mind, that is."

"Your…your…oh no!" Caitlyn moaned. She placed her head in her hands while Mitchie looked on, alarmed.

"Caity?" she questioned, distressed to see her friend so upset.

"It's your birthday!" Caitlyn groaned.

Mitchie glanced at her, wide-eyed. "Yes," she said slowly. "That hasn't ever bothered you before."

Caitlyn shook her head. "No, no," she said angrily. "It's not you. It's me." She sighed. "Mitchie, I was going to buy you that new outfit you were looking at so that you could use it when you went on tour, and I completely forgot why I had the money." She looked miserably down at the manual in her hands. "I spent it on the mixer program."

Mitchie actually looked relieved after the news sunk in. "Is that all?" she asked, expelling her breath in a laugh. "Oh, Caity, it's fine. Don't even worry about it!" She placed a hand over her heart. "You scared me there for a moment."

Caitlyn looked up at Mitchie, surprised. "You're not mad?" she asked quietly.

Mitchie shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, I-" Mitchie stopped suddenly and then seemed to think of something. "In fact," she began again, drawing the words out in the devious tone she used when she had a brilliant idea that always meant more trouble for Caitlyn. "I know exactly what I want for my present, and it won't even cost you anything."

Caitlyn looked suspiciously at her friend. "What?" she asked, her tone wary and ready to decline.

"Since it's close to Valentine's Day, you're going to let me set you up," Mitchie said confidently.

Caitlyn Gellar didn't date. She had a policy about dating, _especially_ blind dates. She would not void that policy now. "Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "Sorry."

Mitchie's eyes narrowed, and then she did a truly despicable thing: she pouted. "But Caitlyn," she whimpered, "it's all I want for my birthday."

Caitlyn glared at her. "Do you remember what happened the last time you tried to set me up?" she asked. "Do you remember that slime bag that I went out with because _you_ wanted me to?"

Mitchie inclined her head ever so slightly. "You may have a point," she conceded.

"I know I have a point!" Caitlyn exclaimed.

"I wasn't finished yet," Mitchie snapped back, irritated. "I personally know this person. Last time, it was a friend of Shane's that I really didn't know. This time, I know the person _very_ well, and I happen to know that he already has a thing for you."

Caitlyn blinked. "A thing? For me?"

Mitchie took this rare moment of astonishment to pounce. "Great!" she exclaimed. "He'll pick you up in two hours!"

And with that, she was gone, leaving Caitlyn sitting in front of her desk, still staring at the spot where her friend had been standing.

As Mitchie left the house, elated with her spontaneous opportunity, she pressed the speed dial on her phone. When the person on the other end picked up, Mitchie said excitedly, "You've got a date in two hours. Make it good, Nathaniel."

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Two hours later, Caitlyn had managed to completely straighten her hair, but she had refrained from tending to her detonated lunch. She would worry about that later. Figuring that she owed it to Mitchie, Caitlyn dressed in a casual sundress and wedges, hoping that it would be dressy enough for…well, wherever she was going.

Millions of thoughts bombarded her mind. Who was it that was coming for her? Why did Mitchie always spring things like this on her? Why was she stupid enough to always fall into them? Furthermore, why was she so scatterbrained and forgetful all the time. If she wasn't so forgetful, she wouldn't have found herself in this mess.

The doorbell rang, effectively stopping Caitlyn's mindless pacing. She momentarily debated not answering the door and pretending that she wasn't home, but then she realized just how hard Mitchie would make her life. She opened the only barrier between her and her blind date, and found….

"Nate?" she asked, her eyes wide with shock.

Standing in front of her was her best friend, decked out in a casual suit and tie. He had even worn dress shoes, which astonished her. "Hi," he said awkwardly, a blush steeling across his face. He looked down at said dress shoes and shuffled. "Look, Caity," he began, but Caitlyn cut him off.

"We can talk when we get to the restaurant," she told him. "It's awkward trying to do this on my doorstep."

Nate laughed, and the sound made Caitlyn's heart beat a little faster. Did it normally do that when Nate laughed? Well, _yeah_. She had just never played it off as attraction before. Is that what it was? "Sounds good to me," he told her, breaking off Caitlyn's train of thought.

He offered her his arm and she took it, feeling the butterflies scatter and burst into colorful acrobatics when he smiled down at her. She shook away the feeling as he led her to his car and held the door for her until she slid into the seat. The actual drive to the restaurant was quiet, but not awkward. Neither one really felt like talking, and most of their brain power was spent figuring out what they should do and say at the restaurant.

When they arrived, Nate again helped Caitlyn out of the car, something she now remembered that he had always done for her. She had accepted it as good breeding, but was it actually something more?

Their table was towards the back of the restaurant, and when the waitress finally stopped grinning stupidly at Nate, Caitlyn relaxed and scanned the menu. "What's good here?" she asked quietly, having never been here before.

"Steak," Nate replied immediately, giving her his famous grin. Everyone knew that he loved steak above everything else.

"Alright," Caitlyn laughed. "I'll bite. I'll have the steak too."

Nate grinned at her over the menu in his hands, already looking more relaxed. "You should probably get the steak first and then bite, Caity," he teased, and then laughed at his own joke while she chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Cute," she muttered.

"So they tell me," Nate shot back, smirking.

"Egotistical too," Caitlyn responded, unable to hold back her entire grin.

Nate shrugged playfully. "It's open to interpretation," he told her, and they began laughing all over again.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and took their orders, barely able to take her eyes off of Nate long enough to write down the orders on her pad of paper. "I'll get right on it," she said, and then whirled away.

"Well she's smitten," Caitlyn remarked wryly.

"Are you?"

Those two words, spoken in a voice she had heard countless times throughout the last few years of her life, made Caitlyn's heart speed up, pumping blood and adrenaline through her veins. Was she? "Perhaps," she responded quietly.

Nate looked down at the tablecloth, fiddling with a loose string. "I am," he said softly.

"You're smitten?" Caitlyn clarified.

Nate nodded, the blush creeping back up his neck. "With you."

Caitlyn paused for a moment. What was one to say in return? "I don't know how to respond to that," she answered honestly. "I've known you for so long that I-I-"

"Never thought I'd like you?" Nate supplied, since the girl sitting next to him couldn't quite seem to get the words out.

Caitlyn nodded. "Something like that," she responded. She looked up at him. "How long have you felt like this?"

Nate shrugged. "I really don't know. It came rather gradually, and it's been building for a while. But I'm not unsure, and I'm not afraid of how I feel, Caity." He smiled and reached in his pocket, pulling out a box a candy hearts. He poured them out on the table, searching intently for the right one. Finally, he found what he was looking for and set it in front of Caitlyn.

**I Like You**

Caitlyn stared at those three words. She swallowed, but then everything clicked in her mind, solidifying the feelings that she had been fighting for so long, but hadn't realized it. She pushed the candy heart aside and searched for another one. Finding it, she bravely set it in front of Nate.

**I Love You**

She heard his intake of breath, and feared that she might have ruined the night. She knew what she felt now, but perhaps Nate wasn't there yet. Her fears, however, were dashed when a heart slid in front of her.

**Be Mine?**

She looked up at him, surprised, and felt that same warmth flooding through her when she saw his smile, aimed right at her. The next heart was hers to give to him.

**Forever**

He seemed to breathe deeply, and leaned towards her slowly before pulling away and turning back to the hearts. The last heart slid her way, and Caitlyn knew what it said before she even saw the words.

**Kiss Me**

So she did, leaning across the short distance and pressing her lips against Nate's. He pulled her against him tightly, and sighed when she opened her mouth and allowed him to deepen the kiss. He would definitely have to thank Mitchie for this opportunity. It was everything he wanted.

As Caitlyn pulled away, she had the same feelings. She would have to forget friends' birthdays more often! She had been too blind to see it, and Nate had been to shy to put his love into words, but now they had each other, and it was all thanks to scatterbrainedness, a blind date, and candy hearts.

Just in time for Valentine's Day.

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**A/N: And so is this! I really hope you all enjoyed this, and enjoy your Valentine's Day! (or Single's Awareness Day for me!) Please review!! :D**


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